The invention relates generally to a paper conversion machine, more particularly to a dunnage dispensing machine that reduces a flexible stock sheet-like roll material of a supplied width into a narrower crumpled paper; and dispenses the latter directly into a shipping case or box containing fragile goods for protection in the form of dunnage and/or void fill product.
Protective packaging material is used in every shipping process to fill voids and protect products by cushioning.
Commonly used protective packaging material consists of plastic bubble rolls, liquid foam injection molding and polystyrene loose fill. These plastic packaging materials are not biodegradable and it has become increasingly important in light of many industries adopting more progressive policies in terms of environmental responsibility.
The forgoing and other disadvantages of conventional plastic packaging materials have made paper protective packaging material a very popular alternative. One form of paper dunnage, which is very well known in the art, is provided in a relatively low density cushioning material obtained from flexible sheet-like paper using a cushioning conversion machine.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,607,383 and 5,593,376 to Armington et al, are representative of a large group of Patents disclosing a modular cushioning conversion machine. The disclose cushioning conversion machines for producing a dunnage product from supplied sheet-like stock material, for example, in roll form, and more particularly, to an improved modular construction of such machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,903 to Levine et al., discloses an apparatus for crumpling and dispensing dunnage from a roll of flexible, stock paper material, and more particularly, to a disposable, dunnage dispensing apparatus which structurally reinforces its outer housing and that maintains a length of dunnage dispensed therefrom in a crumpled state.
In machines of the above-described type there is considerable friction between the moving dunnage product and the different parts of the machine. The friction becomes more severe in places where the width of the strip is significantly reduced, thus causing increased relative tension acting on the strip and, as a result, wears the strip off. Consequently, the effective machine productivity and reliability are well affected.
An object of the present invention is to provide a paper conversion dispenser machine that obviates the above-mentioned disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper conversion dispenser machine that is extremely reliable to use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paper conversion dispenser machine that is relatively simple to produce.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paper conversion dispenser machine that is essentially friction free at the paper shaping member, especially at the pre-entry section where the paper is first significantly reduced in width.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paper conversion dispenser machine that is capable of producing crumpled stream of paper at relatively high rate.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
A paper conversion dispenser machine for converting sheet-like material into a relatively low density cushioning dunnage product, said machine comprises a frame adapted to support a stock supplying assembly for supplying at least one stock paper roll, a shaping member for crumpling and converting sheet-like material of said roll into a three-dimensional shape, said shaping member including a pre-entry section with two side entry guiding rollers having a substantially vertical axis for guiding and reducing said sheet-like material of a supplied width to a narrower width non linear crumpled stream of paper, and an entry section for guiding and reducing said crumpled stream down to an even narrower width relatively low density cushioning dunnage product, a guiding tunnel having a substantially uniform cross section, a feed mechanism for driving said stock paper roll through said shaping member and a cutting set for cutting said dunnage product.
Preferably, each of the side entry guiding rollers is pivotally mounted at a lower end to allow for inclination adjustment of the same about their respective vertical axis.
Preferably, the inclination adjustment occurs within a plane defined by said axis of said two side entry guiding rollers.
Preferably, the entry section includes two side entry guiding rollers having a substantially vertical axis.
Preferably, each of the pre-entry and entry sections includes a bottom mounted roller having a respective substantially horizontal axis.
Preferably, the rollers are covered with an anti-friction material.
Preferably, the feed mechanism has a driving roller and a driven roller spring biased against said driving roller, said driving and driven rollers being adapted to frictionally receive said dunnage product therebetween.
Preferably, each of said driving and driven roller is made out of two coaxial wheels.
Preferably, the pre-entry section is slidably mounted to said frame via an attachment member.
Preferably, the stock supplying assembly includes two stock paper rolls parallel to each other.
Preferably, the pre-entry and entry sections reduce said at least one stock paper roll entering the same by approximately 70% and 30% in width respectively.